Considered one of my favourite issues about elevating chickens is simply how versatile they’re. That, and the way low-cost and simple they’re to look after typically.
However anyway, relating to manufacturing chickens may give you meat and eggs, and a few breeds are recognized for being nice at each functions.
A correctly chosen flock of dual-purpose chickens can preserve you and your loved ones rolling in eggs and loads of high-quality, nutritious meat yr in and yr out. Twin-use birds have a ton of advantages, and so they make preserving a flock of any dimension fully price it.
If you wish to maximize the returns out of your chickens take a look at these dual-purpose breeds on the listing under.
Australorp
- Weight: 10 lbs.
- Laying Age: 5 to six months.
- Eggs per 12 months: As much as 300.
- Broodiness: Average.
- Processing Age: 16-20 weeks.
- Foraging Skill: Good.
Australorps are maybe greatest recognized for being unimaginable egg layers, with many extremely productive strains producing hens able to plunking down as much as 300 eggs each single yr.
However past this, they’re huge, stocky, and hardy birds which makes them an exquisite desk fowl and versatile, with roosters weighing as much as 10 kilos.
Combining this with the truth that they’re resilient in cold and hot environments and customarily straightforward to deal with owing to their calm temperament, it’s troublesome to make a greater case for a dual-purpose rooster than the Australorp.
Austra White
- Weight: 7 lbs.
- Laying Age: 5 to six months.
- Eggs per 12 months: 200-290.
- Broodiness: Average.
- Processing Age: 16 to 25 weeks.
- Foraging Skill: Good.
A novel crossbreed derived from the extremely prolific Australorp above, and the well-known White Leghorn, Austra Whites mix the very best attributes of each into a very fantastic dual-purpose fowl.
In comparison with their Leghorn sires, they lay almost as many eggs however they’re way more mellow. Additionally they have the general good well being, stoutness, and environmental resistance of the Australorp.
You may count on the Austra White to supply a median of 245 massive eggs yearly at a price of about 5 every week.
These distinctive chickens are additionally well-known for dutifully laying all through the complete yr, not often lacking a beat when the climate turns chilly.
Additionally they produce a good amount of supple, tender meat, however they aren’t as massive as another breeds on our listing right here: roosters high out at round 7 kilos and hens are considerably lighter at a most of 5 kilos.
It’s additionally price mentioning that the Austra White doesn’t want as a lot house as another breeds, making it a terrific selection for smaller homesteads or yard flocks.
Orpington
- Weight: 10lbs.
- Laying Age: 5 to 7 months.
- Eggs per 12 months: 200 to 285.
- Broodiness: Very excessive.
- Processing Age: 18 to 24 weeks.
- Foraging Skill: Poor; low motivation.
Among the many most well-known and beloved home chickens, the Orpington was purpose-bred as a dual-use fowl.
First developed in England method again within the late nineteenth century, they had been principally an in a single day success and have loved nice fame to this very day for his or her sensible benefits and in addition for his or her amenable nature.
Orpingtons are first rate however dependable egg layers, maxing out usually round 200 eggs per yr although Buff Orpingtons are recognized to put much more, simply shy of 300 eggs per yr. Hens are quite broody however usually nice moms.
They produce loads of good meat, and contemplating each roosters and hens are fairly stocky at 10 kilos and eight kilos respectively, they make a positive desk fowl…
Plymouth Rock
- Weight: 9 ½ lbs.
- Laying Age: 5 to six months.
- Eggs per 12 months: As much as 210.
- Broodiness: Very Low.
- Processing Age: 16 to twenty weeks.
- Foraging Skill: Good.
Intently associated to the Dominique, and differing just about solely within the look of the comb, the Plymouth Rock is typically known as the Barred Rock primarily based on its stereotypical sample and colours.
Immediately recognizable, they was once the predominant commercially raised rooster within the US, however that tapered off rapidly within the latter half of the twentieth century. However in the present day, as then, they’re raised for each meat and eggs and are glorious producers of each.
Wholesome hens will lay round 210 massive eggs every yr like clockwork till they’re about 3 or 4 years outdated after which they begin slowing down.
That is one other massive home breed, and roosters tip the scales at almost 10 kilos whereas hens are nonetheless fairly sizeable at 7 ½.
Plymouth Rocks will not be recognized to be broody, and are pretty tolerant of a variety of climate circumstances.
Wyandotte
- Weight: 9 lbs.
- Laying Age: 5 to six months.
- Eggs per 12 months: 185 to 260.
- Broodiness: Excessive.
- Processing Age: 12 to 16 weeks.
- Foraging Skill: Common.
As soon as on the very brink of extinction, principally owing to a scarcity of curiosity among the many chicken-owning public, the Wyandotte has since been resuscitated and is now a particularly fashionable fowl amongst homesteaders.
Most notable for his or her deep, broad breasts and durable construct Wyandottes can be found in lots of colours however all of them are prolific layers and sizeable sufficient to supply a good amount of meat.
Hens are sizable, weighing about 7 kilos on common whereas roosters are larger, at about 9 kilos.
A wholesome Wyandotte hen will produce anyplace from 185 to 260 eggs per yr, and they’re recognized to be fairly broody. This will make egg assortment obligation somewhat difficult, however within the plus column, they do lay reliably all through the winter and are diligent moms.
If there’s one main draw back to Wyandottes, it’s that they are often notably noisy in comparison with different home breeds: peace and quiet just isn’t assured! Assume twice if you would like a suburban yard flock…
Dominique
- Weight: 7 lbs.
- Laying Age: 5 to six months.
- Eggs per 12 months: 220 to 275.
- Broodiness: Common; depends upon the hen.
- Processing Age: 16 to 23 weeks.
- Foraging Skill: Good.
America’s oldest and in some ways most well-known true heritage breed, the Dominique is claimed to be fully unchanged because it was first delivered to the New World.
Dominiques are well-known for being extremely self-sufficient, hardy, and excellent foragers. This makes them nice for flock house owners who don’t need birds that require tons of oversight day in and time out.
Though they aren’t the largest breed round, maxing out at round 7 kilos, you’ll nonetheless get a terrific yield of meat from them.
In the case of eggs, Dominiques have you ever amply coated: prolific hens crank out anyplace from 220 to 275 eggs per yr.
Dominiques are additionally a number of the best chickens if you wish to increase your flock naturally. Although they don’t at all times go broody, they’re extraordinarily fertile and are typically diligent moms and good sitters.
Faverolles
- Weight: 8 lbs.
- Laying Age: 6 to 7 months.
- Eggs per 12 months: As much as 180.
- Broodiness: Average.
- Processing Age: 16 to twenty weeks.
- Foraging Skill: Good.
A extremely distinguished, regal, and stoic breed, the Faverolle hails from France, and was created from many different heritage rooster breeds within the nineteenth century.
Once more developed particularly as a dual-use fowl, they’re able to turning out a most of 180 medium eggs per yr and fairly a little bit of meat because of their substantial weight of 8 kilos.
These are beautiful and distinctive chickens, possessing intriguing colours, lovely feathered legs, and beards.
Notably, Faverolles had been bred to tolerate shut confinement so they’re fantastic for house owners who don’t have plenty of house to spare. They’re additionally recognized to be famously pleasant with folks when they’re raised with loads of interplay.
Though they’re comparatively uncommon in the USA, there are devoted teams which might be spreading the phrase about these fancy French chickens.
Langshan
- Weight: 9 ½ lbs.
- Laying Age: 5 to six months.
- Eggs per 12 months: 200 to 225.
- Broodiness: Seasonal; broody in spring and summer time.
- Processing Age: 14 to 18 weeks.
- Foraging Skill: Very good.
There are heritage breeds, and there’s arguably the heritage breed: the Langshan. This Chinese language rooster is confirmed to have been bred for a lot of centuries there and elsewhere in Asia.
Though they’re not often seen in the USA, they’ve a terrific popularity as being a big dual-use breed with a really massive breast, and the meat is notable for being extraordinarily gentle in colour with a positive, clear style.
As anticipated, these birds are additionally dependably good if not wonderful layers, with hens producing anyplace from 200 to 225 eggs yearly, with a median of about 3 every week.
One other fascinating truth is that Langshans are seasonal brooders, with mothers changing into intent on hatching eggs they lay within the springtime, however not at different instances all year long.
This will make the logistics of egg assortment fairly easy, however you possibly can’t rely upon them to increase your flock: they aren’t nice sitters.
Rhode Island Pink
- Weight: 8 ½ lbs Laying Age: 5 to six months.
- Eggs per 12 months: 200 to 300.
- Broodiness: Low.
- Processing Age: 12 to 16 weeks.
- Foraging Skill: Good.
A well-known and vastly beloved heritage rooster, the brick-colored Rhode Island Red produces bountiful meat, with roosters rising as much as 8 1/2 kilos and hens as much as 6 ½ kilos. Meat that’s fine-grained, solely somewhat fatty and fairly tasty.
Regardless of this, although, even in a business capability, they’re most recognized for his or her egg laying with hens cranking out anyplace from 200 to 300 eggs yearly.
Word, although they are going to not often keep that greater determine for greater than a yr or two. They’re additionally recognized for reliably laying straight by means of the winter which is nice if you wish to keep in recent eggs all yr lengthy.
New Hampshire
- Weight: 8 lbs.
- Laying Age: 5 to six months.
- Eggs per 12 months: 180 to 200.
- Broodiness: Very Excessive.
- Processing Age: 8 to 10 weeks.
- Foraging Skill: Very good.
New Hampshires are generally mistaken for Rhode Island Reds due to the same old brick pink colour, however they’re nonetheless a definite breed.
These chickens have roughly the identical general stature, however a New Hampshire is wider with a pronounced triangular or “delta” form, and have a barely lighter hue general.
They’re additionally recognized to be a very long-lived heritage breed, with many clearing 8 years of age and a few dwelling longer than 10!
That is yet one more breed that was created proper from the beginning as a dual-use rooster, a job at which they nonetheless excel in the present day.
New Hampshire’s lay anyplace from 180 to 200 massive eggs yearly, and are spectacular producers of meat. Roosters weigh about 8 kilos, however even a lot smaller hens present a bounty of meat as a result of they’ve such vast breasts. No jokes
Maybe the one draw back to them is that they’re notoriously broody, however on the flip facet, additionally they occur to be nice moms and really attentive to their chicks, that means they’re a dependable approach to increase your flock with out an incubator.
Jersey Big
- Weight: 15 lbs.
- Laying Age: 6 to eight months.
- Eggs per 12 months: 180 to 200.
- Broodiness: Very low.
- Processing Age: 16 to 21 weeks.
- Foraging Skill: Good.
Jersey Giants inform you just about every little thing it’s worthwhile to learn about them within the identify. They’re actually enormous, with roosters tipping the scales at an astonishing 15 kilos, and hens often weighing greater than 10 kilos.
A completely grown Jersey Big stands greater than 2 toes tall from toes to comb! Naturally, these immense birds yield a ton of meat, however there’s a draw back in that they take a really very long time to totally mature bodily; round a yr and a half on the earliest.
For productivity-minded house owners, because of this their conversion ratio is sort of poor since you’ll be feeding them the complete time- and so they eat lots!
Nonetheless, they will feed you proper again with anyplace from 180 to 200 jumbo eggs every yr. Regardless of their immense dimension, the Jersey Big is understood for being very calm and docile with different chickens and folks alike, and so they serve properly as peacemakers in blended flocks.
Brahma
- Weight: 13 lbs.
- Laying Age: 6 to eight months.
- Eggs per 12 months: 115 to 150.
- Broodiness: Seasonally; broody in spring and early summer time.
- Processing Age: 20 to 32 weeks.
- Foraging Skill: Good.
One other actually enormous rooster, the origins of the Brahma are shrouded in thriller. Or maybe it’s higher to say their origins have been misplaced to time, although most poultry historians agree they most likely got here from someplace in Southeast Asia.
Though simply surpassed by the Jersey Big in bulk, Brahmas nonetheless tip the scales at an astonishing 13 kilos within the case of roosters, although hens are typically a bit lighter- however not by a lot!
They yield tons of meat as you would possibly count on, and the meat has a popularity for being scrumptious, wealthy, and of fantastic high quality general. Sadly, these huge cluckers take a very long time to mature.
Brahmas additionally produce an honest provide of jumbo eggs, anyplace from 115 to 150 a yr, although they’re usually seasonal layers. They’ll begin in late fall and preserve laying proper by means of mid-spring.
Hens are likely to get broody in late spring or early summer time, however they’re poor sitters owing to their enormous dimension.
